Buttonhole cutting and stitching machine.



PATENTED NOV. 3, 1903.

` E. B. ALLEN. BUTTONHOLE CUTTING AND.STITGHING MACHINE.

APPLIOATION FILED APB.. 2, 1903.

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lBU'ITONIIOLE CUTTING AND STITGHING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED APB. 2. 1903.

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UNITED STATESV Patented November 3, 1903.`

PATENT OFFICE.

EDWARD B. ALLEN, OF ELIZABETH, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO THE SINGER MANUFACTURING COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

BUTTONHOLE CUTTING AND STITCHING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 743,212, dated November 3, 1903.

Application led April 2. 1903. Serial No. 15 0,771. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD B. ALLEN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Elizabeth, in the county of Union and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Buttonhole Cutting and -Stitchin g Machines, of which the following is a speciiication, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

rllhis invention relates to buttonhole cutting and stitching machines, and more particularly to the' buttonhole-cutting mechanism therefor, and has for its object to provide novel means by which the stop-motion mechanism of the machine may be utilized to perform the buttonhole-cutting operation, as also to provide disconnectible connections under the control of the attendant between the stop-motion mechanism and the buttonhole-cutter, so that when desired the stopmotion device may be tripped either automatically or manually to stop the machine, but without actuating the buttonhole-cutter.

In the accompanying 'drawings7 Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly broken out, of a buttonhole cutting and stitching machine embodying the present invention. Fig. 2 is an elevation of the rear end part of the machine with parts in different positions from Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a detail view of a part of the connections between the stop-motion device and the buttonhole-cutter. Fig. 4L is a bottom view of the machine, and Fig. 5 a rear end elevation of the same.' Eig. 6 is a detail view to show the automatic stop-motion-tripping device. Fig. 7 is a detail view to show the stop-motion cam.

Referring to the drawings, 2 denotes the work-plate, and 3 the arm, of a buttonhole cutting and stitching machine, which in the present instance is provided with stitch forming and feeding mechanisms and a buttonholecutter, which are or may be essentially the same as those of the machine fully shown and described in my United States application for patent iiled September 20, 1901, Serial No. 75,667, although, as will be understood, the. present invention is applicable to other forms of buttonhole machines than that herein shown.

The stop-motion device of the present machine comprises a lever 101, pivotally mounted on center screws 5, tapped in ears 6 on the arm 3 of the machine, Vsaid lever carrying a vertically-movable rod or plunger 102, coperating with a cam 103, rotating with the pulley 104, fast on the driving-shaft 4 of the machine, and adjacent to which fast pulleyis a loose pulley 105. The lever 101 is provided with a belt-shifting arm 106l and with a second arm 107, to which is connected a treadleoperated rod 108. The rod 102 is pressed upward by a spring 109 encircling said rod, and the upper end of said rod is tted to enter a notch 110, formed in the cam 103. The cam 103 is yieldingly connected with the fast pulley 104 through a spring 64 in the manner fully described in United States Patent No. 541,276, so as to soften or cushion the impact of the stopping operation.

The stop-motion lever 101 is held in an inoperative position when theinachine is running against the stress of the spring 111 by a spring-pressed latch or lever 112, which enters a notch formed in the rod 10S, and the feed-wheel is provided with a tripping-lug 61, which is arranged to engage a toe-piece 113 on the said latch or lever 112 when the machine is to be stopped and the buttonhole cut. The toe-piece 113 is preferably formed on a plate 62, adj ustably secured to the latch or lever 112, so as to vary the timing of the tripping action ot the stop-motion device to accommodate different lengths of buttonholes. The latch or lever 112 is yieldingly held in engagement with the rod 10S by a spring 63.

The buttonholecutter 137 is carried by a block 138, attached to the lower end of a cutter-bar 139, mounted in the head of the machine, and connected by a link 140 with the forward end of an operating-lever 141, fulcrumed to the arm 3. The cutter-operating lever is connected at its rear end by a link 65 with the forward end of an actuating-lever 66, mounted on the vertical part of the arm 3 and having at its rear end a slot 67, entered by a pin or roller-stud 63, carried by an arm 69, extending laterally from the verticallymovable rod 102 of the stop-motion device.

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lVhen the said stop-motion device is tripped to bring the rod 102 into the path of travel of the cam 103, the peripheral portion of said cam forces said rod downward against the stress of the spring 109, and thus through the connections just above described the buttonhole-cutter is positively moved downward for a buttonhole-cutting operation, the said cutter being lifted as the rod 102 is moved upward by the said spring 109 to cause the upper end of the said rod to enter the notch 110 in the cam 103 to arrest the rotation of the driving-shaft 4,and thus stop the-m achine. The movement of the stop-motion lever from the position shown in Fig. 2 to the position shown in Fig. 1 shifts the driving-belt from the fast pulley 104 to the loose pulley 105, while the pressure of the upper end of the rod 102 on the periphery of the cam 103 causes a retarding or braking action on said cam before the full stop occurs. The swinging movements of the stop-motion lever 101 impart no movements to the actuating-lever 65 by reason of the fact that during such movements of the said stop-motion lever the pin or roller-stud 68 moves idly in the horizontal slot 07 in said actuating-lever.

If during a buttonhole-stitching operation a thread should accidentally break, it is desirable that the buttonhole-cutter should not be actuated when the stop-motion device is tripped to stop the machine, as a second descent of the cutter in the restitching operation, which when a thread breaks becomes' necessary, is liable to damage the buttonhole and result in imperfect work. To this end the present invention preferably provides a disconnectible connection under the control of the attendant between the stop-motion device and the buttonhole-cutter. Such disconnectible connection is afforded in the present instance by providing` a link 65 with a vertical slot 69, in which the shank of the screw 70, normally connecting the lever 66 with said link, can move idly up and down when said link is moved rearward against the stress of the spring 71 (as by pressing on the finger-piece 76) to cause the shank or said screw to register with said slot. The notch 72, opening into the slot G9, normally closely embraces the shank of the screw 70, so that in the normal position of the link 65 any movement of the actuating-lever will impart a vertical movement to the buttonhole-cutter, as will be understood. To lock the buttonhole-cutter against any accidental vertical movement, when the link is disconnected from the actuating-lever 6G the said link is provided with a notch 7 3, closely embracing a pin 74 or an arm or plate 75, rigidly secured to the bracket-arm 3, and to which arm of plate 7 5 one end of the spring 71 is attached.

It is sometimes desirable, as in case of accidental breakage of a thread in stitching leather or for other reasons, to stop the machine manually before the automatic stop would occur, and in such case it is desirable that the buttonhole-cutter should not be operated by the stop motion device. This manual tripping of the stop-motion device may be effected by a finger-lever 77, attached to the under side of the work-plate 3 and hav-l .with the lower end of a vertical lever S3, the

upper end of which vertical lever is connected by a link or bar 84 with the link G5, so that when the finger-lever 77 is operated to stop the machine manually said link 65 will also be moved to the position shown in Fig. 3 to disconnect the buttonhole-cutter from its operating connections with the stop-motion device.

From the foregoing it will be understood that the buttonhole-cutter is so connected with the stop-motion device or mechanism as to be operated therefrom in such a manner that the cutting action is positive and reliable and will occur d urng the stopping operation, but just before the driving-shaft of the machine is fully stopped or comes to rest. It will also be understood that the connections between the buttonhole-cutter and the stopmotion device while normally operatively joining these parts are disconnectible, so that when desired such parts may be disconnected to permit the stop-motion device to be tripped, either automatically or manually, without operating the said buttonhole-cutter.

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The connection of the buttonhole-cutter with the stop-motion device is no detriment to the latter, but, on the contrary, is positively advantageous in that the power acquired or absorbed by the cutting operation is opposed to the momentum or inertia of the running machine, and so resists the momentum that the impact of the iinal stop is greatly softened and the noise and jar of the stopping blow greatly lessened. i

The invent-ion is not to be understood as being limited to the details of construction herein shown and described or to the use of the invention to any particular style of buttonhole cutting and stitching machine, as the details of the mechanism comprising the invention may be'varied widely, and the said invention may be applied to any style of buttonhole cutting and stitching machine of otherwise ordinary or suitable construction.

Having thus described my invention, I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. In a buttonhole cutting and stitching machine, the combination with a buttonholecutter, of a stop-motion mechanism comprising a swinging stop-m otion-controlling lever,

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a spring-pressed rod or plunger mounted to reciprocate in said lever, a stop-motion cam for positively operating said rod or plunger in 1 machine, the combination with a drivingting strokes by said stop-motion mechanism,

shaft j ournaled in the upper part of the frame thereof, a cutter-bar mounted to reciprocate vertically in said frame above the work-plate of the machine, a buttonhole-cutter carried by said bar, a stop-motion device comprising a stop-motion-controlling lever and a springpressed rod or plunger mounted in said lever, a stop-motion cam for operating said rod or plunger, and connections between said rod or plunger and saidcutter-bar whereby the cutter will receive positive cutting strokes from said stop-motion cam.

Ina buttonhole cutting and stitching machine,the combination 4with a buttonholecutter, of a stop-motion mechanism operatively connected with said cutter, so that, at the proper times, said cutter is given its cutand a disconneotible connection between said cutter and said stop -motion mechanism whereby the said cutter may be operated from said stop-motion mechanism, or may, at the pleasure of the attendant, be disconnected from said mechanism, so as to be non-operative when the stop motion mechanism is tripped to stop the machine.

4. In a buttonhole cutting and stitching machine, the combination with a bottonholecutter, of a stop-motion mechanism, a disconnectible connecting mechanism between said cutter and said stop motion mechanism, whereby the said cutter may be operated from said stop-motion mechanism, or may, at the pleasure of the attendant, be disconnected from said mechanism, so as to be non-operative, when the stop-motion mechanism is tripped to stop the machine, and a locking device to positively prevent the accidental operation oi said cutter when the latter is disconnected from its operating mechanism.

5. In a buttonhole cutting and stitching machine, the'combination with a buttonholecutter, of a stop-motion mechanism, a disconnectible connection between said cutter and said stop-motion mechanism, whereby said cutter may be operated from said stop-motion mechanism or may be rendered inoperative, as may be desired, a manually-operated device, for tripping the stop-motion mechanism, to stop the machine, and which manuallyoperated device is independent of an automatic tripping device, and connecting means whereby, when said manually-operated device is actuated to trip the said stop-motion mechanism, the cutter connections to said stopmotion mechanism will be disconnected so that the said cutter will not be operated.

6. The" combination with the stop motion lever 101 having the arm 69, the driving-shaft having the cam 103, the spring-pressed rod 102 mounted in said stop-motion lever, the actuating-lever having the slot 67 entered by a pin or roller-stud on said arm 69, a cutter, an operating-lever connected with said cutter, and a link normally connecting said actuating-lever with said cutter-operating lever.

'7. The combination with the stop-motion lever 10.1 having the arm 69, the driving-shaft having the cam 103, the Vspring-pressed rod 102 mounted in said stop-motion lever, the actuating-lever having the slot 67 entered by a pin or roller-stud on said arm 69, a cutter, an operating -lever connected with said cutter, and a link normally connecting said actuating-lever with said cutteroperating lever, said link having a vertical slot in which a pin on said actuating-lever may move idly when said link is manually displaced, against the stress of a retaining-spring, from its normal position, so as to disconnect said cutter from said spring-pressed rod from which the cutter is normally operated.

8. In a buttonhole cutting and stitching machine, the combination with a buttonholecutter, a stopmotion device and an automatic tripping device for said stop-motion device which sets the said stop-motion device into operation to stop the machine, of a disconneciible connection between said cutter and said stop -motion device, the manuallyoperated tripping-lever 7 7 for said stop-motion device, and connections between said tripping-lever and said disconnectible connections whereby, when the stop-motion device is manually tripped the said cutter will be simultaneously disconnected from its stopmotion-derived operating power.

In testimony whereof I afx my signature in presence of two witnesses. Y

EDVARD B. ALLEN. Witnesses:

H. J. MILLER, I-I. A. KORNEMANN. 

